Multielectrode gaseous-discharge tube circuits



Dec. Z9, 1953 D. G. A. THOMAS ET AL 2,664,555

MULTIELECTRODE GASEOUS-DISCHARGE TUBE CIRCUITS Filed Feb. 2l, 1952 Patented Dec. 29, 1953 MULTIELECTRODE GASEOUS-DISCHARGE TUBE CIRCUITS David Gurney Arnold Thomas, Deerhurst-Walton,

Gloucestershire, and Edmund Harry Cooke-Yarborough, Faringdon, Berkshire, England, assignors to The National Research Development Corporation, London, England Application February 21, 1952, Serial No. 272,852

Claims priority, application Great Britain February 23, 1951 Claims.

1 This invention relates to electrical circuit arrangements using multi-cathode gaseous-discharge tubes. Circuits according to the invention have applications in electronic calculating machines.

Multi-cathode gaseous-discharge tubes, sometimes referred to as cold cathode counting tubes or polycathode glow tubes, have been described in the literature including an article Polycathode glow tube for counters, by J. J. Lamb and J. A. Brustman (Electronics, McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, November 1949, pages 92-96), an article The dekatron--a new cold cathode counting tube, by R. C. Bacon and J. R. Pollard (Electronic Engineering, vol. 22, No. 267, May 1950, pages 173-177) and an article Multicathode gastube counters, by G. H. Hough and D. S. Ridler (Electrical Communication, vol. 27, No. 3, September 1950, pages 214-226).

It is the purpose of this invention to p-rovide an electrical circuit by which information may be recorded by moving the discharge in a multicathode gaseous-discharge tube (a store) and by which information may be extracted from such a store. The process of recording is hereinafter referred to as translating in and the process of extraction is referred to as translating out. The information to be translated in may be of a form represented, for example, by the perforation on a punched paper tape or by the setting of electrical switches and information translated out may be made to appear as a record on a punched paper tape or it may be fed to an electrically operated typewriter.

The circuit of the invention comprises a pulse generator, first switch means to direct a pulse train from the generator to move the discharge in either one or the other of rst and second multi-cathode gaseousdischarge tubes, second switch means associated with the output cathode of the rst tube to switch pulses occurring after the discharge reaches the output cathode to mov-e the discharge in the second tube, means associated with the main cathodes of the second tube to mark any one of said cathodes to switch pulses via said second switch means occurring after the discharge reaches the marked cathode to move the discharge in the rst tube, and identifyingy means associated with the main cathodes of the second tube, to identify the cathode on which the discharge comes to rest.

Apparatus embodying the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying circuit diagram.

The circuit comprises a storing unit II, a translator l2 and a pulse generator I3. The translator consists of a multi-cathode tube I4, an

amplier I5 for the pulses taken from the cath odes -I of the tube M, a circulate zero circuit IB for circulating the discharge in the tube I4 on to the cathode 0, various switches l 1 32 and output circuits 33-37. Load resistances l0-50 are associated with cathodes B-II) respectively. The tube I4 has first and second guide cathode groups 38 and 39. Each output circuit 33-3l comprises a triode amplifying valve such as 33a, a relay such as 33h in the anode circuit of the valve, and a condenser 33e to give the relay 33h a slow release characteristic. The contacts associated with the relays (33h etc.) are used to feed signals to an electrically operated typewriter or to a tapeperforator in a well known manner.

The storing unit I I may be regarded as typical of a large number of similar units used in an electronic calculating machine. A cascade oi such units may be used to store the digits of a multi-digit number. The unit II consists of a multi-cathode tube 5I, provided with rst and second guide cathode groups 52 and 53 and output cathode 54 and, also in the unit II, a series of switches 55-59. The storing unit I I may be used as a receiving store (for translating in) or as a sending store (for translating out).

The pulse generator I3 is provided with a series of connections 69-55 for the transmission of pulse trains to various parts of the circuit.

A. switch circuit 66 is provided which, in conjunction with tubes I4 and 5I, is used for transfer operations between the tubes in the manner indicated in the cin-pending patent application Serial No. 272,312 dated February 19, 1952. The switch 67 is provided to establish add or subtract conditions between the tubes.

The operation of the circuit is now described, by way of example, for the simple operation of translating a count of 4 into the storing unit II and the subsequent operation of translating out this count.

The circuit is first set for translating in. This involves momentarily operating switch 22 so that the discharge in tube I4 is circulated to cathode 0 by pulses from the generator I3 connected to the iirst and second guide cathodes 3S, 39; the pulses to the i'lrst guide cathode being transmitted by way of connection 5s, and the pulses to the second guide cathode being transmitted by way of connection S5 and circuit i6. A connection 68, between the circulate zero circuit i6 and cathode 0, is used to provide a signal when the discharge reaches that cathode and so stop the circulation of the discharge. Switch 29 is operated by a relay associated with the contacts of a tape reader to select cathode 6; switch I'I is operated to associate this cathode with switch circuit B6 by way of'the ampliner I5, switches I8 and 2| are operated to direct a train of ten pulse pairs to circulate the discharge in tube I4 from cathode 0 to cathode IG and switches 55 and 5l' operated in the store II to prepare a circuittooperate tubel. When in the course of this circulation the dis.- charge alights on cathode 6 ap-ulse is transmitted from that cathode by way ofV switch 23, amplifier I5 and switch II to operate/*ti` switch circuit 55, so that the pulses fed to itzb onnection (istk are diverted by way of switch 61 (inthe addi posi.- tion) and switch 55 to the second guide cathode 53 of tube 5I, to pair with pulses in connection Si from the pulse generator I3 to the iirst guide cathode 52, by way of switch 5l', of tube 5I, The discharges in tube I4 and 5I then move in syn.- chronism, i. e. the discharge in tube I4 moves four steps (from cathode 6 to cathode I Si) and the discharge in tube 5i moves four ste-ps. This completes the operation of translating in a count of lift For translating out this count of 4 the switches operatedl for translating in are restored and switches 55, 53, 59, 2D and I9 are operated rdlfld'switch 22 is then operated momentarily. Ten pulse pairs from the pulse generator i3 are led by wayof connections 6 2 and 63 to circulate the disclfiargeY in tube 5i sothat an output pulse is generated at: the cathode 5,4, of tube 5 I, on receipt of; thesixth pulse, pair, to trigger the switch ciri cuitY do to divert four pulses of a synchronous train of tenY pulses from the generator i3 by way of connection Sliv and' switches Si and 2] to the second guide cathode to tube Iii. These four pulses pair with pulses in connection SI to iirst guidecathode 38 toA move the discharge in tube it by four stepsto rest on cathode d. The presence of aA discharge on cathode d energises` output circuits 35 and 3 6 by way of connections 'FG and iid respectively. The relay contacts associated `with the relays of these output circuits are used to operate a tape-punching machine, the count of four being identified by a code combination ci the. third and fourth holes punched in a five yhole. line.

The relationship between tube I4, switch circuit 66 and tube 5I in the operation of translating in is similar in form to. that disclosed in theA cci-pending application Serial No. 272,312,

dfated Februar-y 19, 1952, which describes a transy fer circuit comprising al receiving tube (tube Iii),

a switch operated by a control pulse (switch cir-j cuit 66) sending tube (tube 5I) .l Yin the op-` eration Of mandating: out tube 5i besef-fles, are

regering iut-e and, tubs' 'i4 becomes the sensing tube.

.Ao desborde @hunting menige. embodying '0.1.1.9 PYQSQ wetomy' @Qmplfse a number Q f multi-digit stores and a selector, such as combinations .0f-relay contacts for .Selecties these Stores according to orders given to the machine so that numbers may be. translated in or out or have arithmetical operations performed upon them. The number in any store may be a number on which it is required to perform arithmetical operations or it may represent an order, coded say as a two digit code, which will be called upon in the course of operation of the machine to decide further operations of the machine. An order stored in numericalorm may be translated out to, the lform given by output circuits 253-3? and used to instruct the calculating machine further. With an order stored in numerical form, it is a Straishtfforwafd probes i0 2Jdd e number t0 the store' so that the order is altered thus providing for a sequence of operations in which theinstructions to the machine areamended during its operation according to a preconceived scheme.

1.v A circuit comprising a pulse generator, rst switch means to direct a pulse train from the generator` to move vthe discharge in either one or the other of first and second multi-cathode gaseousdischarge tubes, second switch means associated .with the output cathode of the rst tube to switclfi-v pulses occurring after the discharge reaches the output cathode to move the discharge in the second"tube,`means associated with the main cathodesof the second tube to mark any one ofsaid cathodes to switch pulses via said sec-` ond switch means occurring after the discharge reaches the marked cathode to move the discharge in the iirst tube, and identifying means, associated with the main cathodes of the second tube, to identify the cathode on which the discharge cornes to rest.

2`A circuit comprising a first multi-cathode gaseous discharge tube having means fonderiv.- ing a potential from the output cathode thereof when the discharge arrives at that cathode, a second multi-cathode gaseous-discharge tube have ing means associated with eachY main cathode operated when the discharge comes to rest on the cathode, and means associated with the main cathodes for deriving a potential when the discharge arrives at a selected cathode; a rst switch means for feeding a pulse train to move the dis.- charge in either of the multi-cathode tubes and switch means for feeding pulses synchronous with pulses in said train and following either ofy said derived potentials to move the discharge in both multi-cathode tubes.

3. A circuit according to claim 1 wherein said means associated with each main cathode oper-A ated when the discharge comes to rest on the cathode comprises an electronic valve connected to feed current through slow-tooperate electromagnetic relay.

e. A circuit according to claim 1 wherein saidY means associated with each main cathode operated when the discharge comes to rest on the the cathode comprises two detectors the input to each ofwhich is common with connections from other main cathodes so that any cathode is identified by a characteristic combination of two detectors.

5. A circuit comprising a iirst multi-cathode gaseous discharge tube having means for. deriving a potential from the output cathodeA thereofwhen the discharge arrives at that cathode, a second multi-cathode gaseous-discharge tube. having means associated with each main cathode operated when the discharge comes to rest on the cath-ode, and means associated with the main cathodes for deriving a potential when the vdischarge arrives at a selected cathode; a first switch means for feeding a pulse train to move the discharge in either of the multifcathode tubes, and change-over switch means for, on the` one hand, feeding pulses synchronous with pulses in said train and following, on the other hand,

feeding pulses synchronous with pulses in said train and preceding, either of said derived potenias to move the discharge in both multi-cathode u es.

DAVID GURNEY ARNOLD THOMAS. EDB/[UND HARRY COOKEfYARBQROUGI-I.

No references died- 

